Maelel (What It Means To Be Human)
by NextTimeI'llBeBraver
Summary: Twelfth story in our Lost Chronicles series. The foursome needs sometime to recuperate after the incident on the river and decide to stay in a small village prone to Orc attacks off of the Anduin for a while. While there, Aragorn and Arwen become rather attached to a small orphaned girl. Will there be a new younger member of the group? By Savannah (Aragorn & Eowyn)(Legolas & Arwen)


(Words in bold type are spoken in Elvish)

The market, if it could be called a market, was empty; the baker only had a few hard loaves of bread and a single woman was selling stringy carrots from her garden. "These people are starving," Arwen said as she and Aragorn made their way down the empty street. "They spend all their time fighting of the Orc attacks and their own deaths that they have no time to really live." Aragorn nodded his eyes fixed on some far off point. "Are you listening to me?" Arwen asked frustrated. "Aragorn?" He nodded his head in the direction of the baker. Arwen followed his gaze to a dark alleyway where a little girl, maybe five or six years old, stood in the shadows. Her clothing was in tatters, her dark hair a mess of tangles, and her eyes stared longingly at the crusty bread at the baker's stand. Arwen looked at Aragorn's face and had to smile. "Go," Arwen said. Aragorn's face broke into a huge smile and he walked in the direction of the girl. Arwen rolled her eyes and followed him. "I don't understand you," Arwen said. "You're so big and strong, a Dunedain Ranger, and yet you love every child under the sun."

Aragorn looked backed at her and shrugged grinning. When he reached the child he knelt down beside her. "Hello there," he said quietly. The little girl looked at him with fear in her eyes and slowly began to back away. "It's all right, little one, I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

The little girl shook her head, tears springing into her eyes still backing away until her eyes caught on Arwen. The child froze in her tracks, her eyes growing big. "You're an Elf," she breathed.

Arwen smiled and knelt beside Aragorn. "My name is Arwen Undomiel," she said

"Maelel," the little girl said under her breath.

"You have an Elvish name." Arwen smiled.

Arwen looked around and realized Aragorn had walked to the bakers table, he came back with a small loaf in his hands. "Are you hungry?" he asked ripping the bread in two.

Maelel nodded furiously. "Thank you," she said taking a huge bite.

Aragorn smiled. "Where are your parents?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Maelel's eyes dropped to the ground and she swallowed hard. She looked to Arwen then to Aragorn. "They died," she said quietly. "My mother died when I was little, she was having my baby brother but he died too." Arwen took the girl's hand, her heart sinking at the sad story of the girl's life.

"And your father?" Aragorn asked.

"He died when the monsters came, he saved me," she said.

Aragorn looked up from where he knelt his eyes meeting Arwen's. "You're coming with us," Arwen said.

Aragorn's eyebrows rose and he stood up and began to speak in Elvish. **"We can't take her with us,** **Arwen we're too dangerous."**

Arwen looked confused. **"We're not going to her hurt her."**

Aragorn sighed. **"No not us, our lifestyle. To travel with us you must be able to defend yourself, we can't care for her." **

Arwen grew angry. **"I can Aragorn!" **she spit out. **"You might not think so, but I can keep her safe!"**

"**This isn't about you,"** he said. **"This is about her! What about when we leave, she's already lost everyone in her life?"**

"**I will find someone to take care of her until we can come back for her. I'll pay them if I must." **

Aragorn looked down at the little girl; her eyes shone looking back and forth as they talked. "Fine," he said. "But we will not take her into the wild with us."

Arwen nodded and scooped the little girl up into her arms and together they walked back to the barn.

..::..

"Lady Eowyn," a woman called rushing after Eowyn in the street. Eowyn turned around to see the woman following her. "Please take this," she said handing her a mound of soft goats cheese wrapped in cloth.

Eowyn smiled. "I can't," she said. "Feed your family with this."

The woman shook her head and pressed it back into Eowyn's hands. "Without Aragorn, my son would have died. He was sick and Aragorn healed him. Please take it, it's all I have to give." Eowyn nodded understanding and walked away.

..::..

When Eowyn reached the barn she could smell the stew cooking, she breathed it in her stomach growling. She went to the well and pulled up a bucket of water then walked into their makeshift home. She sat down in front of the fire and began to wash her hands but she stopped when a child walked out of the back of the barn straw stuck in her hair. Eowyn smiled. "Who is this?" she asked looking immediately to Aragorn but it was Arwen who answered.

"Her name is Maelel, she will be staying with us until we leave."

Eowyn look at the child. "Hello Maelel," she said making the child smile back at her.

Aragorn walked through the doors and came to sit beside Eowyn. She turned to him and cupping his cheek in her hand kissed him full on the mouth. When they parted Aragorn looked with amusement at the piece of cloth tied around Eowyn's head. "What's this?" he asked. "You look like a proper farm girl now."

Eowyn smiled and touched her head then flicked her braid around to lay on her shoulder. "It feels better than my gold circlet ever did." Aragorn snorted and gave her a look as if to say "you couldn't be more right". He reached over and touched a stray piece of hair that had fallen from the handkerchief behind her ear then leaned down to kiss her again.

"You're in love," Mealel said interrupting their kiss.

Aragorn chuckled. "Yes, we are," he said. Maelel nodded and walked away. Eowyn tried to suppress her laughter as Aragorn turned to her one eyebrow raised. "Alright then," he said.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Eowyn said pulling the cheese from her shirt pocket. " A woman insisted I give this to you, apparently you saved her sons life." Aragorn smiled and pulled a knife from his belt to slice off a piece.

"It's ready," Arwen said spooning the hot liquid into five bowls.

They sat around the fire eating and talking well into the night. Outside storm clouds moved in silently and with them dark creatures from the trees. Mealel sat in Arwen's lap as she pulled a comb through her tangled hair.

"Did you catch anything in the traps today, Legolas?" Eowyn asked.

He nodded. "Three hares," he said. "It's not much but it will feed a few. What were you doing?"

Eowyn sighed. "Digging." Legolas looked at her confused. "We're rerouting the stream so it runs through their fields and waters the crops."

"I'm impressed, Eowyn," Aragorn said. "I wouldn't have thought a princess would have known much about farming."

Eowyn glared at him and slapped his chest. "I'm not a princess, Theoden is my uncle."

Aragorn looked at her. "Royalty then," he said slightly exasperated.

"I heard you saved a boy's life," she said.

Aragorn smiled. "All part of the day's work," he said. Legolas laughed and it was Eowyn's turn to be exasperated.

..::..

Maelel sat huddled in Arwen's arms flinching every time the thunder boomed in the distance. "Shhh," Arwen soothed her, stroking the child's hair. The night was late and the four friends sat close around the fire. Eowyn sighed moving closer to lean into Aragorn, she smiled at Arwen and Maelel. As the night drew on the little girl fell asleep held close in Arwen's arms. Arwen sighed continuing to stroke her long black hair. "Can we keep her?" she asked looking over at Legolas.

He smiled and moved closer to look at the sleeping form of the child. "No" he said touching Arwen's shoulder.

Arwen sighed again and looked up to Aragorn but he flung his hands in the air. "I love the girl just as much as you do, but do not drag me into this." Eowyn laughed and Legolas couldn't help but smile Arwen began to chuckle and the child moved waking up. Eowyn covered her mouth with a hand.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried in her sleep.

Aragorn looked at Eowyn a pleading look in his eyes.

"What do we do?" Arwen asked trying to calm her.

Aragorn stood and crossed around the fire to kneel in front of the girl. "Maelel," he called holding her shoulder in his hand. "Maelel, wake up, love," he said shaking her gently.

The little girl woke up with a start and flew into Aragorn's arms. "Daddy!" she cried happily. "You're home!" Aragorn felt his heart drop.

Arwen cringed. "Maelel," Arwen said rubbing her back. "He's not..."

"No," Aragorn interrupted her. "Just let her fall asleep again and think it was a dream." Aragorn turned back to the little girl and lay her down so she was cradled in his arms her head resting in the bend of his arm. He reached for a blanket and tucked it around her then in his deep husky voice began to sing quietly and rock her back and forth. Eowyn smiled affectionately at Aragorn and the little girl curled up in his muscular arms.

"What was that?" Legolas said jumping to his feet. The group fell silent listening to the rain pound against the barn roof. Suddenly a scream pierced the night.

Arwen and Eowyn sprung for their weapons and followed Legolas out into the night leaving Aragorn alone in the barn with Maelel. He looked down at Maelel and stood up to walk toward a pile of hay. He set her down covering her with a blanket. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at Aragorn with her piercing blue eyes. "You must say here," Aragorn said beginning to pull fistfuls of hay from the pile and cover her. "And you must stay silent." She nodded. "But most of all you must be brave." Aragorn smiled and kissed her forehead. "I know you can," he finished and strode from the barn sword in hand to join the fighting.

Outside the night was as black as hell and the screams of the dying filled the air. A woman ran past him carrying a baby pressed to her chest, four Orcs ran just behind her their crude swords drawn. Aragorn raised his blade a followed in the pursuit.

..::..

Maelel lay as still as she could her small heart beating faster than it ever had. Through the mesh of the hay and the dim fire light she could see something moving around. As it came closer she could hear its heavy breathing. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" the Orc growled raising its sword. Maelel held her breath and tried to stop the shaking in her arms. _"You must be brave,"_ she could hear Aragorn saying. The Orc began to sniff around the room his deformed nose moving like a hound. But he found nothing and Maelel thought he had left when suddenly the Orcs blade came sliding down through the hay right above her shoulder.

Maelel screamed and jumped out of the hay and tried to run but it was too late. The Orc's hand closed around the back of her neck and brought her slamming to the floor pain exploding from her small rib cage and Maelel screamed again tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please don't hurt me!" she cried.

The Orc laughed spaying spittle onto her face and taking a small dagger from his belt slid it slowly into her abdomen. Still laughing, he jerked the blade from her body and planted it again in her shoulder.

Maelel cried as the pain covered her entire body as she felt the dagger slip into her flesh over and over untill her eyes became cloudy and the face of the Orc above her began to fade. Arwen's face filled her mind, and the face of her mother and her father, and then Aragorn's until she no longer felt the pain; until she felt nothing.

The Orc stood looking down at the blood soaked body of the small child; he picked it up by the neck and without looking to see where it landed threw it in the direction of the hay stack where he had found her.

..::..

Arwen ran through the village. The fighting had stopped and the Orcs were dead but bodies lay everywhere. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eowyn hunched over the form of a dying man. "Where is Aragorn?" Arwen called. "Where is Maelel?"

Eowyn met her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know," Arwen took off again in the direction of the barn they were living in. As she reached the big doors Legolas walked out of the barn his head down. Their eyes met and Arwen knew there was something wrong. "Legolas," she asked. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Legolas folded her into his arms holding her close. "She's gone, Arwen," he whispered in her ear.

Arwen felt herself panic; she pulled away from Legolas and ran into the barn tears falling down her cheeks. But what she saw made her stop in her tracks. Aragorn knelt in the middle of the room just as he had done only hours before, Maelel resting in his arms. Blood splattered her face and the many holes the Orc sword had made in her small body trickled red tracks down her clothing. "No!" Arwen screamed. "Maelel!" Aragorn looked up tears welling in his eyes as he held the body of the girl. Arwen ran toward him but something caught her around the waist. She tried to fight it, sobbing as she tried to break free but Legolas pulled her closer and held her tight as she fought. "She was only a child," Arwen sobbed sinking to the floor. Legolas knelt in the dirt holding Arwen close until her tears had closed.

..::..

Arwen stood in the crowd gathered to bury the bodies of those who had died in the fight the night before. The sky above her was grey and she pulled her cloak tighter around her against the cold winds. Sobs and cries filled the air as the dead where brought down the main road of the small town. Torches where lit even though it was midday and people carried candles to see in the shadow of the gathering storm clouds. Arwen stood with Eowyn on one side of her and Legolas on the other. Aragorn walked in the procession beside the small box that held Maelel's body. As he walked past the three friends their eyes met and they fell in with him. Eowyn took his hand and tried to smile reassuringly but it died on her lips when she saw his face. Arwen moved to the other side of Maelel's coffin and looked at the little girls white face. She wore a simple green dress and her dark hair was braided away from her face. 'They take better care of her in death then they did in life,' Arwen thought harshly. Big white lilies and small purple violets filled the corners of the box pressing up against her arms and head. Arwen reached out and placed a hand on the girl's cheek as they walked and murmured an Elvish blessing. When she finally tore her eyes away from the corpse her eyes met Legolas' and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him kissing the top of her head.

When they reached the burial grounds the deep holes in the ground had already been dug. The horses' leaders pulled up beside each of the graves and stopped. As if on cue the crowd began to sing a low mournful song Arwen had never heard. She look around to see Aragorn standing still, his hands folded and his face hard. Beside him Eowyn stood her head bowed singing softly. Legolas took Arwen's hand as she felt herself blinking back tears. As the song ended a few men for each of the dead walked forward some bodies had more others fewer but in front if Maelel's grave Aragorn stood. The man Maelel had known only a few days. Arwen looked around but he was the only one who would represent the child.

A woman stepped forward and began to sing a new song, her voice was gentle and soft and as she sang the men lifted the coffins and lowered them down into the pits. Arwen felt tears slipping down her cheeks as Aragorn lifted the box. She placed a small bundle of flowers in the child's hands then walked back to stand beside Eowyn.

Aragorn was left standing with the box in his arms looking down into the blackness. Legolas rushed to his side and gripped his shoulders steadying him then together they lowered Maelel into her final resting place. Aragorn walked slowly toward Arwen and Eowyn, more stumbling then walking. Eowyn met him wrapping her arms around his neck. Aragorn moved to hold her and he stooped to bury his face in her shoulder.

Arwen stood alone and watched as Legolas took a shovel and began to pile dirt back into the hole in the ground. Arwen moved in a trance towards the grave. "No, Arwen, don't look," she heard Legolas say but it was too late. The image of Maelel laying cold in the mud, dirt and bits of stone splattered across her peaceful face, was seared onto her brain. Arwen finally broke into sobs. Legolas moved to hold her and Aragorn took his place shoveling the earth back into its place. Legolas pulled Arwen aside, holding her close to him and brought her away from the burial ground.

Eowyn was left standing all alone watching as Aragorn slowly took shovelful after shovelful. The rain began in big droplets pounding the ground in a fury until the two last figures were wet to the bone.

Eowyn watched as lighting flashed across the sky and thunder boomed. Aragorn thrust the shovel into the wet ground then collapsed against it holding on to the wooden handle for support. Eowyn was at his side in a second; she knelt beside him and placed a hand of his cheek. "Come inside with me," she begged. "It can wait, Aragorn." He only looked at her and pulled himself to his feet and began once again. Eowyn watched as he labored on and on, she looked around every one else was gone half the graves were only half full. She walked over to an abandoned shovel and picked it up. Together she and Aragorn worked until the grave was full. Aragorn hit the top layer packing down and Eowyn took the wooden star and thrust in to the ground at the head of the grave. Eowyn took Aragorn's hand and together they stood in the down pour.

..::..

Arwen knelt on the ground beside a roaring fire in the ale house of the town. Her long hair hung damp around her shoulders and a shiver ran down her spine as she stared into the flames. She turned at the sound of the door creaking open; Eowyn and Aragorn walked in, their body's dripping wet. Aragorn walked over to sit above her on a bench beside Legolas not saying a word, but Eowyn turned and walked up to the bar. Arwen watched not really seeing as she came toward her with two of the smallest cups she had ever seen. Eowyn knelt beside Arwen on the soft rug and handed her the drink. "What's this?" Arwen asked but Eowyn only shook her head.

"Just drink it."

Arwen sipped at the tiny cup but she began to cough as the drop she had taken burned its way down her throat. She turned to Eowyn just in time to see her tip her head back and through down the drink in a single gulp. Arwen did the same and felt the heat hit her stomach, she sighed closing her eyes and the warmth spread through her. When she opened them again Eowyn was gone and Aragorn with her. She looked around and found them at the counter. They came back each with a stack of tiny cups in their hands, Arwen took some and placed them on a small table beside her. Aragorn took one after the other until he had taken four then he sat back against the bench and closed his eyes. Eowyn did the same stacking the empty glasses. Arwen looked down at the last remaining shot but turned away she could feel the blood rushing through her veins like never before and the room seemed to spin around her.

Eowyn picked up the glass and offered it to her. "It will make you forget," she said sadly but Arwen shook her head and climbed up next to Legolas. Eowyn looked down at the glass in her hand but Aragorn opened his eyes and took it from her and emptied into his own mouth. Eowyn moved closer to him and letting her wet lips brush his as his hand moved to the back of her neck pulling her into a deep kiss.

Arwen watched with tears in her eyes finally she stood, her hands balled into fists. "Fuck you humans," she said angrily. Aragorn and Eowyn detangled themselves from one another and looked at her. "You feel too much, you love to hard, and you die to quickly." With that she walked out into the night.


End file.
